Cutlery cluster

ABSTRACT

A cluster of cutlery formed in a sheet with each of the several items of cutlery having its handle severably joined by tabs to the sheet while the remaining portion of each cutlery item is completely severed from the sheet. Each cutlery item may be separated from the sheet without separating the other items.

United States Patent Inventors Gim P. Fong Auburndale; Paul Davis,Swampscott, both of, Mass. Appl. No. 840,699 Filed July 10, 1969 vPatented June 22, 1971 Assignee Sweetheart Plastics, Inc.

Wilmington, Mas.

CUTLERY CLUSTER 7 Claims, 8 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 206/56AB, 2 l 5/DIG. 5 Int. Cl B65d 83/00 Field ofSearch..206/56M.56A3.

56 K; 229/l.5 C; 220/85 D; 215/D1G. 5

References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 1,607,864 11/1926 Butler 229/1.5C 1,607,865 11/1926. Butler 229/1 .5 C 3,136,416 6/1964 Goldrosen 206/56A3 FOREIGN PATENTS 326,788 3/1930 Great Britain 229/1.5 334,367 9/1930Great Britain 229/1.5

Primary Examiner-Joseph R. Leclair Assistant ExaminerStephen MarcusAttorney-Wolf, Greenfield, Hieken & Sacks ABSTRACT: A cluster of cutleryformed in a sheet with each of the several items of cutlery having itshandle severably joined by tabs to the sheet while the remaining portionof each cutlery item is completely severed from the sheet. Each cutleryitem may be separated from the sheet without separating the other items.

PATENTEH JUHZE I97:

IN VIENTOR.

G l M PO NG PAUL DAVIS ATTORNEYS crirsssv cwsrsn This invention relatesto plastic cutlery and more particularly comprises a new and improvedarrangement for marketing a cluster of cutlery items together.

The demand for disposable tableware including cutlery has increased verysubstantially in recent years, and this demand not only comes form thehome market but from the food packaging industry as well. For example,food processors now propose to sell various food items in a package alsocontaining disposable containers within which the packaged food may beprepared and/or eaten. In accordance with the present invention thecutlery as well as the containers may be packaged with the food atnegligible cost to the food manufacturer and provide very greatconvenience to the customer.

One important object of this invention is to provide a very inexpensivemeans of marketing a plurality of eating utensils.

Another important object of this invention isto provide a cluster ofcutlery in a unitary structure, which enables each item to be separatedfrom the others in the cluster when each is to be used.

Another important object of this invention is to provide means forholding a plurality of cutlery items in a cluster and which allows eachto be broken away from the cluster without producing burs or other roughedges on the utensils that could render them unsuitable for use.

Another important object of this invention is to provide a utensilformed from sheet material, which possesses enough rigidity so as toenable the utensil to be used comfortably and effectively withoutbending.

To accomplish these and other objects, this invention includes a clusterof cutlery vacuum and/or pressure formed in a sheet of material, witheach utensil having substantially uniform thickness with the oppositefaces of the utensils each being parallel to one another. The utensilsformed in the sheet are completely severed from it except for tabs whichjoin the sheet to the handle of the utensil. The remaining portion ofthe utensil is severed from the sheet by die cutting or some othertechnique, which leaves the utensil free of sharp edges or burs.

These and other objects and features of this invention will be betterunderstood and appreciated from the following detailed description ofone embodiment thereof, selected for purposes of illustration and shownin the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a sheet formed with a cluster of spoons, inaccordance with this invention, and with one such spoon removed from thesheet;

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing one spoon as it appears removed from thesheet;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the spoons shown in FIG. 2;

FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 are cross-sectional views taken along the sectionlines 44, -5, and M, respectively, of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the section line 7-7 ofFIG.II; and

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the section line 3-8 ofFIGnl and suggesting that at the location of the section the handle iscompletely severed from the sheet.

In FIG. )1 a sheet of styrene is shown approximately 0.025 inch inthickness within which are formed four spoons l2. One of the spoons hasbeen removed from the sheet leaving an outline of the spoon as shown atM. The spoons 12 in the sheet are formed in a manner so that each mayseparately be removed without difficulty. Along the side edges 16 of thesheet as viewed in FIG. I are a plurality of dimples 18 which are usedto register the sheet during trimming operations.

In FIGS. 2-6 the spoon 12' which has been severed from the sheet andwhich has left the opening 14 therein is shown in detail. The spoonincludes a handle 20 and bowl 22, both generally trough-shaped in across section, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The handle 20 has a uniformcross section from the bowl 22 to its outer end 24, and thecross-sectional shape gives rigidity to the handle so that it can beused for its intended purpose without appreciable bending. THe shape isreadily achieved in the process of forming the spoons in the sheet.

Like the handle 20, the bowl 22 of the spoon is U-shaped in longitudinalcross section but the size of the U diminishes toward the end 26. It isevident that the configuration of the bowl 22 achieves stiffness for it,and like the handle 20 it will perform its intended function withoutbending or otherwise distorting to an appreciable extent.

In FIGS. 1, 7 and 8, the handle 20 and bowl 22 are shown to becompletely severed from the sheet by the die-cut line 28 that exactlyconforms in outline to the outline of the spoon, except for the bridgesor tabs 30 that join the handle and sheet together. The bridges 30 areformed by gaps in the cutting tool which severs the spoon from thesheet, and the tabs remain only to be broken after the sheet shown inFIG. 1 is formed when a spoon is to be removed.

In the preferred embodiment shown, tabs 30 are shown only connecting thehandle to the sheet, and no tabs are provided in the bowl part of thespoon. The tabs are confined to the handle portions so that any bur orirregularity left in the side edge of the utensil when the tab is brokenwill not be placed in the mouth when the utensil is used normally, forsuch burs or irregularities could scratch the mouth. The spoon 12 isshown in FIG. 2 to include four nicks 32 in the handle portion 20 leftby the severed tabs in detachment of the spoon from the sheet. It willbe noted in FIG. 1 that the tabs 30 which formerly connected the spoon12 to the sheet remain connected to the sheet itself rather than formextension of the spoon which has been removed. It will be recognizedthat if the tabs 30 projected from the spoon 12 which had been removed,and particularly if those tabs 30 were disposed on the bowl portion ofthe spoon, when the spoon was drawn between the lips, the tabs couldscratch the mouth and lips. In FIG. 7 the handle 20 is shown connectedto the sheet, and when the spoon is removed the tabs break in thevicinity of the lines 34. The remaining portion of the periphery of thespoon is presevered as indicated above and as suggested in FIG. 8.Consequently, the bowl 22 of the spoon, for example, can be flexed outof the plane of the sheet 10 even without severing the bridges or tabs30.

Experience indicates that the tabs ordinarily break in the mannersuggested in FIGS. 1 and 2 with the bridge portion remaining attached tothe sheet and breaking out of the spoon. This is likely caused by virtueof the fact that the spoon is thickest at the periphery where it emergesfrom the sheet 10 and the stock gets progressively thinner towards thedeepest portion of the drawn plastic. Consequently, the bridge tends tobreak in the direction of the thinner stock and leaves the tabs orbridges as shown in the periphery of the opening 14 and leaves nicks inthe periphery of the spoon handle as shown in FIG. 2.

From the foregoing description it will be appreciated that the deviceshown in FIG. 1 is very suitable for marketing in a package, and apurchaser may break a single spoon from the sheet when required andwithout disturbing the other spoons. For example, in a packagecontaining four ready-mix foods, the purchaser may open one package at atime and use one disposable plastic container that is also provided andbreak one spoon from the sheet. When the purchaser wants to make asecond mix, he may strip a second spoon from the sheet. The sheet may bepackaged very readily in a box with the other materials which comprisethe package and use a minimum of space. The customer will easily findthe spoon as part of the sheet and will not have to fish at the bottomof the box to find one.

While the foregoing description has been directed to the formation ofspoons in a sheet, it will be appreciated that other cutlery items suchas forks and knives may be formed in the sheet as well. Spoons mostreadily lend themselves to this particular type of vacuum formingprocess because their bowl configuration inherently provides stiffness.Nevertheless, because all utensils can be formed in the manner asdescribed, it is not intended to limit the breadth of this invention tothe particular configuration shown. The scope of this inventioncontemplates the manufacture of a sheet containing a variety ofdifferent-cutlery items as well as all of the same kind. By providingthe partof each item that goes in the mouth with a clearly severed edge,danger to the mouth is avoided, and the cluster is very convenient forpackaging and storing.

What we claim is: l. A cluster of cutlery comprising: a sheet of plasticmaterial, a plurality of cutlery items having handles and portionsformed in the sheet, and several tabs joining only the handle to thesheet and the remaining outline of each cutlery item being completelysevered from the sheet and with the items lying within the sheet wherebysaid tabs may be ruptured to separate each of said items from saidsheet, said separated items being free of any irregularities about itsperforming portion. 2. A cluster of cutlery as described in claim 1further characterized by each cutlery item being of substantiallyuniform thickness with the contours of the opposed faces being parallel,said cutlery item lying in a substantial single plane with the sheet. 3.A cluster of cutlery as described in claim 2 further performingcharacterized by the handle being trough-shaped. 4. A cluster of cutleryas described in claim 3 further characterized by each cutlery item beinga spoon with the trough-shaped handle extending to the bowl of thespoon. 5. A cluster of cutlery as described in claim 4 furthercharacterized by said spoons alternately extending in oppositedirections for compact forming in the sheet. 6. A cluster of cutlery asdescribed in claim 3 further characterized by said cutlery itemsalternately extending in opposite directions forcompact forming in thesheet. 7. A cluster of cutlery as defined in claim 1 furthercharacterized by,

said tabs being so constructed and arranged so that when said tabs areruptured to separate said items from said sheet, the major portion ofeach of said tabs will tend to remain attached to said sheet.

1. A cluster of cutlery comprising: a sheet of plastic material, aplurality of cutlery items having handles and performing portions formedin the sheet, and several tabs joining only the handle to the sheet andthe remaining outline of each cutlery item being completely severed fromthe sheet and with the items lying within the sheet whereby said tabsmay be ruptured to separate each of said items from said sheet, saidseparated items being free of any irregularities about its performingportion.
 2. A cluster of cutlery as described in claim 1 furthercharacterized by each cutlery item being of substantially uniformthickness with the contours of the opposed faces being parallel, saidcutlery item lying in a substantial single plane with the sheet.
 3. Acluster of cutlery as described in claim 2 further characterized by thehandle being trough-shaped.
 4. A cluster of cutlery as described inclaim 3 further characterized by each cutlery item being a spoon withthe trough-shaped handle extending to the bowl of the spoon.
 5. Acluster of cutlery as described in claim 4 further characterized by saidspoons alternately extending in opposite directions for compact formingin the sheet.
 6. A cluster of cutlery as described in claim 3 furthercharacterized by said cutlery items alternately extending in oppositedirections for compact forming in the sheet.
 7. A cluster of cutlery asdefined in claim 1 further characterized by, said tabs being soconstructed and arranged so that when said tabs are ruptured to separatesaid items from said sheet, the major portion of each of said tabs willtend to remain attached to said sheet.